BLOG

This blog was originally started to write about the journey of 2 very different dogs on their path to agility. As with all of life's path's there are detours so we continue with this journey now but add Kaffee's to our Myst experiences and what we learn along the way.

It seems as if so many dogs are getting injured and not just in agility. A few months ago my 8 year old Border Collie, Kaffee, got an iliopsoas injury chasing a ball. I know of several other dogs that also currently have or have had iliopsoas injuries. Two good friends have dogs that have ACL injuries requiring surgery. It is not surprising that we are beginning to hear more about these injuries in our sport dogs since we are asking more and more of them not only at very early ages but throughout their lives. AND, I have to wonder if our lack of knowledge about the importance of building core strength and fitness in our dogs is contributing to their injuries. We all have seen or been guilty of taking a dog right out of their crate for either agility exercises in a class or seminar and just before running our dog at a show. The warm-up might consist of a few jumps over a practice jump but in classes and seminars that does not even usually happen. And, there were people who wrote that dogs did not need to warm up like human athletes do since dogs were meant to just spring into action, running, jumping, chasing for food or whatever they do in the wild. Those of us that have had injured dogs and experienced the long time it takes for rehabilitation know the importance of prevention. In some instances the dog never seems to perform at pre-injury level or in other instances, the injury re-occurs.Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation - an EXCELLENT RESOURCEChristine Zink and Janet Van Dyke recently published an excellent book, “Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation” that presents their work, and an impressive collection of work by veterinary health care specialists such as surgeons, nutritionists, physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists. Each of these specialists shares their experiences, expertise and research in veterinary sports medicine and rehab. While this book was perhaps originally published for those that care for the canine athlete, it is so well written that those who work with performance dogs or have dogs in rehab will find this book very interesting and helpful. Much of what is known today comes from the application of scientifically based principles and rehabilitation that have evolved from experiences with human athletes. Much of the research about the canine athlete comes from data collected on two athletic extremes: the sled dogs and sprinting dogs like the Greyhounds. One chapter that I found very interesting is “The Role of Nutrition in Canine Performance and Rehabilitation.” Dr. Wakshlag points out that sporting dogs have many different activities that require dietary modification for optimal performance. There are risks of vitamin and mineral imbalances that performance canine athletes need to be aware of. Rehabilitation, on the other hand, is quite different and integrates principles for adequate wound healing and maintenance of lean body mass. This chapter has an excellent research-based discussion on the use of long chain omega-3 Fatty acids and other nutraceuticals for their anti-inflammatory properties and their ability to assist with chronic inflammation. Another interesting study in this chapter shows that there is no beneficial effect for the use of electrolyte mixtures to sustain performance dogs. The second chapter that I found so informative was the one by Dr. Zink on “ Conditioning and Retraining the Canine Athlete.” She writes, “ a balanced exercise program includes strength (anaerobic) training that targets the forelimbs, pelvic limbs and/or CORE BODY MUSCLES, endurance (aerobic) training, PROPRIOCEPTION AND BALANCE, preparation and recovery (stretching and flexibility) and skill training. The program should balance duration, frequency, and intensity of training while avoiding overtraining. “ In reading this chapter I was not surprised that Kaffee was injured while chasing a ball. While I believed he was very fit, his fitness certainly did not involve core strength and proprioception work. And, he has never been able to easily or willingly stretch out his rear legs. Myst, on the other hand, has been conditioned and trained pretty much following Dr. Zink’s guidelines for a balanced exercise program. Developing Core Strength, Proprioception, Balance and Preventing InjuriesI was introduced to the importance and benefits of developing core strength and proprioception when taking Susan Garrett’s contact course. Each week we were given several exercises mainly using balance discs to help build core strength and proprioception. From Susan’s excellent shaping course, I learned about creating one special place indoors for training new behaviors (shaping) without distraction and using the balance discs. Myst really enjoyed her late afternoon time in our special room. FitPAWS when they first saw Myst’s balance disc work, commented on her canine gym and the wonderful work she was doing (videos on our web site demonstrate Myst's balance disc work from the time she was a puppy) We have continued to advance Myst’s work on the balance discs (SEE RECENT VIDEO BELOW) 3 or 4 days a week and have now included Kaffee in our afternoon time for his iliopsoas rehab to develop and strengthen his core strength and proprioception. Kaffee had never really done much with balance discs other than using small discs for pivots. I was surprised at how weak his back end was and how little proprioception he had. I was just as surprised at how quickly he learned to balance and be coordinated on the discs and advance to more difficult exercises… and he LOVES this work. As you will see in my BLOG posting on Kaffee’s iliopsosas rehab he is doing very well. While I still am very cautious about what I allow him to do, he is now at (4 ½ months ) able to hike on trails for 1-2 hours off leash and is doing jumping exercises at 16 to 20 inches a few times a week in preparation for his obedience work. Endurance and Aerobic ConditioningMyst’s conditioning also includes 2 times a week on trails where she can run, trot and explore for 1-2 hours. This not only improves her conditioning but also taps into her speed and love to run. We travel a short distance to a wonderful forested area where I can see her at all times due to the spacing of the trees. We also do late afternoon hikes out our backdoor several days a week. This terrain is not as suitable for aerobic conditioning due to the uneven terrain but serves to support her body awareness and conditioning maneuvering boulders, rocks, small cliffs, washes and hills. Balance in TrainingPerhaps most importantly we do not over train in agility. While we go to our lovely training field 4 or 5 days a week we begin with what has become a perfect warm-up – obedience work. Following what is perhaps most mentally challenging in obedience, we do agility for about 20 minutes total. It is all fun and the two blend nicely. Two days a week the dog are conditioned and allowed to be dogs running, sniffing and playing with each other on soft wooded open trails. In the summer they swim and in the winter they enjoy running and playing in the snow. Warm-up PreparationBobby Lyons offered an online class on Iliopsoas Prevention and Treatment and gave some excellent warm-up exercises prior to working a dog. I not only use these for Kaffee’s warm-up but incorporate them into Myst’s warm-up for her training and shows. Warm up Exercises 1. Warm up spine: nose to hip both sides 2. Rights and left (circles and spins) 3. Moving weave through legs 4. Moving turn right left weave 5. Backing up (warm up and cool down) 6. At side circles right and left 7. Weave to circles and spins 8. Moving forward: DOWN > STAND 9. Stand to CONCERTINA DOWN to stand 10. Sit pretty or sit and bring nose up keeping spine straight 11. Again, weave into turn right and left

You have been an inspiration to all of us. We are very fortunate to have you so near. Look forward to experiencing all there is learn. Our babies are loving the work you have showed us. We have a long way to go. Happy trails, Judy P.S. this was sent to me by one of our top Belgian Tervuren handlers.

Reply

Judy

6/24/2014 03:41:16 am

Judy, You are so kind to take the time to send me this lovely note. It is greatly appreciated. I love sharing what I have learned on my dog training journey.

Reply

JW

6/30/2014 04:40:12 am

How appropriate; my older girl (who has torn both CCLs, first injured her psoas at 10 months old, and also developed a cervical issue this year) really seems to be struggling recently. I consistently warm her up and cool her down, as well as many other things (and maybe she is nearing the time where we have to leave agility for other pursuits, but she loves it so much I will hate to see that day come)...but conditioning is one that I really struggle with. We live in the city (a very big, not dog friendly city), and although she can play safely off-lead at least 4-5 times per week, my younger dog cannot. What do you do if you don't have reliable access to a yard or to wooded trails? How far is it safe to run a dog on concrete for per day? Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck finding resources about "how to properly condition your sports dog in the inner city."

Reply

JW

6/30/2014 06:40:19 am

Yes it is difficult to aerobically condition a dog if living in the city.
Is it possible to drive outside the city to find even a dirt road you would exercise on? Are there any parks to jog with your dog? The balance discs are very important in rehab to help strengthen the muscles, joints, and ligaments esp. in the area where the injury is. If you look at my writing on Kaffee' iliopsosas rehab you will see all we did: a combination of regular disc work, trotting cavelettis; jumping grids all to slowly help strengthen. Agility is very hard ton dogs however esp. after they have been injured.

Reply

JW

6/30/2014 08:37:48 am

Very hard. Counting the months until I finish and we can move back out of the city. The issue with my other dog is that she is overly friendly with dogs, and that is not acceptable in a public setting, at least around here. There is one friend who we visit, but any of the hiking trails within an hour to an hour-and-a-half from the city are clogged with people, dogs, and horses. I jog her on lead almost daily on the one dirt trail in the neighborhood park, which does help; the older dog has good enough verbal control to play off-lead in this setting. But I wonder how much I should be shooting for: how many minutes of jogging versus walking per day do you aim for with your dogs?

P.S.--Oh yes, it is so hard to come back. Even with *all* of those health issue, the older dog did it (she's my Nov A dog, now 6 1/2, and even with literally years off for rehab still finished her ADCH, almost has her PDCH and bronze LAA, made it to PSJ finals at her first Cynosports, and has been on the podium several times at regional events). She is just a swell dog. It will break my heart when she can't do what she loves anymore.

JW

6/30/2014 01:58:35 pm

I do understand how difficult it is do do the cardio with dogs when living in a city. We have moved to Sedona, AZ and have access to trails and lots of off leash hiking opportunities but there is a trade off.... few local people to work with and having to drive long distances to shows. But I will take living in a beautiful place where we can hike out our back door. To answer your question about time, I don't have a set time for our cardio and I do not jog with the dogs due to bad knees. I just take them for their hikes/runs and let them determine what they feel like doing. Kaffee is 91/2 and does not run much but trots and we hike for 1-2 hours; Myst on the other hand seldom stops running :-)
Best of luck with your dogs and finding a way to share life happily together.

Reply

Leave a Reply.

Author

Cynde Leshin lives in Sedona, Arizona with her husband and 4 dogs: Myst, Kaffee, Puli Ziggy and one year old Beckett. Cynde has worked in the health care field for over 10 years, is an author, instructional designer and most recently as a faculty member in the College of Education at Western Governors University. She is now enjoying her free time doing photography, writing, creating educational programs, hiking, training and enjoying her dogs.